


in sickness

by polkadottedmars



Series: vows [1]
Category: Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene
Genre: F/M, Family Fluff, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-04
Updated: 2014-07-04
Packaged: 2018-02-07 08:57:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1893030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/polkadottedmars/pseuds/polkadottedmars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nancy and Ned's daughter needs to have her tonsils out and is pitiful.</p>
            </blockquote>





	in sickness

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ndnickerson](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ndnickerson/gifts).



> Written for ndnickerson to thank her for her generous addition to my Nancy Drew collection! This was her prompt suggestion.
> 
> I indulged in one of my favorite past times...

Ned sighed, pushing aside the deposition he was reading. A quick glance at his watch confirmed that Nancy, his wife, was probably still in court testifying about a case she had worked on a few months previously. He could use a lunch break—hell, any kind of break from the case he was working on. But as high profile as it was, it would probably be best to charge through his prep work—especially if he wanted to make it home to see his children before they were already in bed.

He picked up one of the picture frames off his desk, tracing the smile on his wife's face, identical to the one on their daughter. Carrie, named after Nancy's mother Carolyn, took after Nancy in looks and in spirit. In the photo, taken on Carrie's last birthday, Carrie's strawberry blonde hair was in a braid like her mother's, and her blue eyes were sparkling with excitement as blew out the flame from the number five candle atop the ladybug cake in front of her. 

A brisk knock at the door tore Ned's attention away from the picture. Margaret, his secretary, knew how big this case was, so it had to be something important if she was interrupting him. He groaned as he saw her run her hands through her short silver hair. It was her nervous tick, reserved for when she had bad news to tell him about his family—if Nancy was cancelling plans, or worse something had happened to Nancy or one of the kids. 

Margaret had been Carson's secretary for years, and knew the family well. Carson had retired five months previously after having a minor heart attack. Nancy and Eloise ganged up on him until he agreed to scale back. He knew he could leave the firm in Ned's capable hands. Carson had offered him a job as soon as Ned graduated from law school, but Ned wanted to prove himself worthy first and took a job with the public defender's office. It took a couple of years before Carson could convince him that he deserved the job on his merits alone, and not because he happened to be Nancy's husband.

When Carson's retirement coincided with Ned needing a new secretary—his previous fired for purposely failing to put Nancy's calls through to him—he suggested his son-in-law snatch her up before someone else did. She was like an honorary member of the family, and Ned didn't know how he would be able to replace her once it came time for her own fast approaching retirement.

“Someone from the school is on line one,” she said, apologetically adding, “They wouldn't tell me anything.”

Ned buried his face in his hands for a second, before thanking her. His oldest, Jamie, had recently started getting in trouble at school. While he may have inherited some of his parents' better traits—Ned's athleticism, Nancy's intelligence, and their mutual interest in helping people—he had also inherited some of their not-so-good traits as well. He had just recently discovered his stubborn streak, which combined with Nancy's penchant for overstepping the line, wasn't doing him any favors on the playground.

Thankfully, the eight-year-old hadn't gotten into any serious trouble yet. Mostly it was arguments with other kids, mainly about Jamie thinking they were acting wrongly. Still, Ned had been waiting for, and dreading, the day Jamie decided to go further.

“Ned Nickerson speaking,” he said as he picked up the phone.

“Hello,” a soft voice began. “This is Debbie Mackle, the school nurse.”

Ned sat up, immediately alert. “What's wrong?”

“Carrie came in complaining of a sore throat about an hour ago,” the nurse said quickly. “I gave her some ice chips and had her rest to see if it would get any better. I was in the middle of trying to call your wife when Carrie threw up.”

“Is she okay?” Ned asked, already beginning to shove the papers on his desk into his briefcase, not caring that he was wrinkling half of them.

“I think it might be strep. She should be okay once she gets some medicine in her.”

“I'm assuming you didn't get a hold of my wife?” he asked the nurse.

“Her phone was off,” she answered.

Ned frowned, knowing Nancy would worry as soon as she turned on her phone and saw a missed call from the school. “Can I talk to Carrie?”

It took a moment before his little girl spoke. “Daddy? I don’t feel good,” she cried into the phone.

Ned’s heart broke as his little girl sobbed. “I know, baby. I’ll be there as soon as I can, okay?”

Ned called Margaret back into his office as he finished gathering his things. “Can you call Carrie’s doctor’s office and get her in as soon as possible?” he asked, listing her symptoms. “And then call my mom and have her pick up Jamie after school? If she can’t-”

“-Call Hannah or Carson. I know the drill,” Margaret cut him off. “Is there anything else?”

Ned started to shake his head. “That’s it. Nancy’s testifying in court right now, so her phone’s off. I’m going to keep trying her. If on the off chance she sees the missed calls and tries the office before my cell-”

Margaret nodded, pushing Ned out the door gently. “Just go take care of your daughter.”

The drive from the law office in downtown River Heights to the elementary school usually took twenty minutes depending on the time of day and traffic, but Ned made it there in half the time. On any other day he would have been pleased with the school's security measures—being a parent always means being afraid for the safety of your children, but being a parent with Nancy Drew means having the extra fear of someone getting their revenge by putting their hands on your children—but today, the extra time spent waiting for the door to be unlocked and to be checked in was just more minutes spent away from his daughter who needed him.

When he finally made it to the nurse's room, he found a miserable Carrie sitting on a cot, staring at the clock. No doubt counting how long it was taking him. From the moment she learned how to tell time, she had started timing everything.

“Hey, ladybug,” Ned said, crouching beside her, putting one hand on her forehead to test her fever.

“Daddy!” Carrie moaned. “Make it better.”

A young woman appeared beside them, her black hair twisted in a bun that was falling haphazardly and her dark red lipstick smudged, as if she had been biting her lip extensively. “Hello, Mr. Nickerson,” she said, extending her hand for Ned to shake. “It's been a pretty bad week here. A lot of kids have come in with strep throat.” She sighed. “Four kids today alone.”

Carrie sniffled from her spot on the cot. “Can we go yet?”

“Yep,” Ned said, bending down to pick up his daughter. “Straight to the doctor.” He turned back around to face the school nurse. “Thank you for taking care of her.”

The nurse shrugged off his appreciation. “It's my job.” She smiled warmly at Carrie. “Feel better.”

Margaret had gotten them an appointment right away, but they were still in the exam room two hours later. Ned turned around at the sound of the door opening. Instead of the doctor he was expecting, he saw his wife. She looked like she had aged ten years since she had left that morning. Her concern and fear was evident on her face, and probably mirrored on his own.

She quickly moved to her daughter’s side. “Hey, sweet pea,” she said softly, leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead.

Carrie offered her a weak smile, reaching for her hand. She was only satisfied once she was holding both of her parents’ hands.

Nancy looked up at her husband, the question clear on her face.

“We’re waiting on the strep test, but the doctor said whatever it is definitely caused tonsillitis.”

Nancy winced, remembering her own bout with tonsillitis when she was ten. “How bad?”

“Probably surgery,” Ned answered frowning, not happy with the idea of his little girl going through surgery so young.

Nancy was having similar thoughts. “This early?” she questioned.

Ned shrugged. “Doctor said it wasn’t unusual.”

“Am I going to have to miss school?” Carrie interrupted her parents’ discussion. “Tomorrow is Leah’s birthday. I don’t want to miss the cupcakes!”

“Sorry, Ladybug,” Ned said, picking his daughter up, and moving to take her seat, with her on his lap. “You’ll miss the celebration at school, but her party isn’t until the end of the month. You’ll be all better by then. You can have cake and run around all you want.”

“And,” Nancy added, moving Carrie’s strawberry blonde hair out of her eyes. “In the meantime, you can have all the ice cream and jello you want.”

Carrie’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Nancy nodded. “Mashed potatoes and popsicles too.” She looked back at her husband, frowning when she was his attention was on his phone.

He looked up when he finished tapping out his message, and nodded towards Nancy’s purse on the examination table next to Carrie.

The opening chords of their song started playing softly, and Nancy realized he had been messaging her. Quickly pulling her phone out, she read his message.

_dr was surprised it came on so quickly. I asked her & she said she was sick in morning. She didn’t want to bother us because of work_

Nancy sighed as she answered him. 

_And? What did you say?_

She watched as he read the message. Instead of texting her back, he threw her frustrated look. “Sorry,” she mouthed, knowing he would have handled it appropriately.

Carrie tugged on Nancy’s hand. “Sorry you had to leave work,” she said quietly.

“Are you kidding me?” Nancy asked brightly. “It was so boring. I’d much rather be with you. And guess what? I'm going to stay home until you're all better. Think of how much fun we'll have.”

Six days later, Nancy knew she was going to have to find a way to make it up to her daughter. Carrie had been fit in the following morning for her surgery, which went well, and she was allowed to go home the same day. But it wasn't the fun Nancy had promised her. She had an upset stomach the rest of the day, and each time she got sick, Nancy's heart had broken watching her daughter cry.

Ned was no better with seeing his baby in pain, and he had tried to do everything he could to make her feel better. She still wasn't quite up for getting out of bed yet, so he had spent most of the last week reading to her in bed and making runs to the kitchen for popsicles. Even though she slept most of the day, boredom had set in fast, so Ned brought the television from the den up to her room.

Jamie hadn't been happy with that at first, but he quickly changed his mind the first time he saw his sister in pain. Nancy and Ned had been surprised, and immensely proud, when he brought her some of his favorite toys including the ones he never let her touch.

Nancy paused midway in the task of folding one of Jamie’s shirts when she heard the faint melody of her phone’s generic ringtone. She reached into her back pocket, where she had shoved her phone earlier, but found it empty. Realizing it must have fallen out, she reached into the couch cushion just as the ringing stopped. It started back up again as she fished her phone out, as well as a handful of goldfish crackers.

Tossing the crackers on the coffee table to deal with later, her frustration only grew as she saw who the caller was. Years ago she had considered Frank Hardy one of her closest friends. Together with his younger brother Joe, Frank had helped Nancy out on occasion. It was more frequent, however, that the two brothers requested Nancy’s help.

While she still kept in contact with the brothers—Joe more than Frank—it hadn’t been since before Jamie’s birth that she had worked with them on a case to an extent larger than offering advice over the phone. That didn’t mean that the requests had stopped, though. A couple times a year Frank would call her up with the promise of a mystery sure to stump her, and she would politely decline each time, fulfilling her role in the mutated relationship their friendship had become.

It had started shortly after her engagement to Ned. Growing up, Nancy and Frank had been close, their mutual passion for solving mysteries a bond between them. Their similarities outnumbered their differences, and they soon became each other’s sounding boards when it came to their relationships. Frank had been dating Callie Shaw, a girl Nancy had met on several occasions and knew to be a well-suited match for him.

Like Ned, Callie often felt that some cases were too dangerous and got upset over broken dates. Frank would complain about this to Nancy, who in turn found herself sympathizing with Callie instead of Frank, whose flirtation with danger and habit of breaking dates she shared. She found it easy to understand Callie’s frustration as repetitive concern, and that had Nancy reevaluate her own complaints of Ned’s attitude towards her sleuthing.

It wasn’t like he had ever forbidden her from taking cases, or made her choose between her love for mysteries and her love for Ned. In fact, all he had ever done was encourage her to take less risks and once in awhile, put their relationship first. In a way, she partially owed Frank for her ability to finally commit to Ned. If it hadn’t of been for their discussions of how unfair they thought their other halves to be, Nancy may have never realized how unfair she was being to Ned. That realization and Ned’s declaration during his next proposal that he would never want her to give up her identity, was what made Nancy say yes.

Nancy had invited both of the Hardy Boys to her engagement party, and Frank, who hadn’t taken the news of the engagement well, had to be carried away by his brother after drunkenly admitting to Nancy that he thought she was making a mistake marrying Ned. Ned had barely kept his anger in check, outraged that Frank would show up to their engagement party and try to steal Nancy’s heart away from him, but Nancy’s own anger at Frank’s behavior had calmed Ned—even made him a little gleeful. He had joked that seeing Nancy reject Frank was one of his favorite wedding presents.

Frank’s name never made it to the wedding invitation list, and neither did Joe’s—Nancy was afraid Frank might happen upon the invitation and do something stupid if he knew the date and location of their wedding. It was silly, considering he was an okay detective and could have figured it out on his own if he really wanted to, but Nancy hadn’t wanted to risk anything.

The brothers had sent a wedding present, though—a crystal vase Nancy promptly donated to a church bazaar after sending a thank you note. It was usually Ned who brought flowers home, and placing them in a vase from Frank would have felt wrong. Almost a whole year had past before either Hardy Boy made contact with her again. Joe began calling her for tips on a difficult case, and when Frank accidentally got on the line with them, the tension filled gap between them had tentatively been bridged, and their working relationship repaired. Their friendship, however, was as strained as ever.

“Hello?” Nancy answered the phone, weary of whatever Frank was about to request.

“Nancy! How are you?” Frank Hardy’s voice came over the phone.

“I’ve been better,” Nancy admitted. “Whatever you want my help with, I can’t do it.”

Frank groaned. “Come on, Drew. You don’t even know what the case is about. You’re gonna love this one. I promise.”

Nancy shook her head. “It’s Nickerson,” she reminded him, for probably the millionth time since her wedding. “And Carrie just had her tonsils out. You could be about to discover Bigfoot on Atlantis and I still wouldn’t leave this house.”

“That’s what’s keeping you?” Frank asked incredulously. “I figured it was because you had your own case going on. Come on, Ned can watch his own damn kid. Or leave her with Hannah or someone else. Don’t you miss the old days before you were Susie Homemaker?”

Nancy took a deep breath to calm her immediate anger and thought about Frank’s question. Did she miss the old days? Sure, it had been fun travelling to different countries and making new discoveries. But now? The joy on her children’s face when they discovered something new was worth a lot more to her than anything she had ever done on her own.

Every achievement of her children’s—from their first smiles to their report cards—had filled Nancy with more happiness than she ever received from finishing a case. As for cases themselves, she still solved mysteries on a daily basis. The only difference was the lack of risks she now took. Distancing herself from the thrill of a danger was a small price to pay for knowing she’s lowering the chance of her children growing up without a mother like she had.

She did still travel for cases when it was necessary, but never for longer than a week. And she did still get into the occasional scuffle with a criminal—she was still Nancy Drew after all—but since giving birth to Carrie her hospital visits consisted of stitches for cuts that weren’t serious or x-rays of sprained bones. There were no more accidental run-ins with poison or black-out concussions.

“That damn kid is my daughter, Hardy, so I’d watch your mouth if I were you,” Nancy spat out, unable to calm herself completely. “I’m a far cry from Susie Homemaker, but if you’re asking if I miss what life was like before I become a mother, then my answer is no. And I sincerely hope you weren’t actually suggesting I abandon my sick five-year-old to go God knows where with you. But because you’re so concerned about my welfare apparently, I can assure that I get my fill of mystery at work, all without having to leave my family for extended periods of time or putting myself in danger.”

Frank laughed nervously. “I’m sorry, Nancy. It’s just that you’re not living the life I expected. I never thought you were cut out for life as a mother.”

Nancy closed her eyes for a second. It didn’t seem like that long ago she was thinking the same thing of herself. Ned had been sure from the beginning that they would end up happily married with children. But she had doubted her own abilities. And she thanked God every morning and every night that she had been wrong and had pushed away her insecurities and started a life with Ned.

“I feel sorry for you, Frank,” Nancy said quietly.

“What are you talking about?” Frank asked surprised. “I’ll be on a plane to Germany tonight. I’m not the one stuck at home.”

“That’s just it, Frank. I’m not stuck at home. I choose to come home every night to a home full of people who love me. I choose to shut off the work side of me so I can make it to my son’s little league games and my daughter’s ballet recitals, so I can be there to tuck them in at night and keep an ear out in case they have nightmares.”

Frank sighed audibly. “Listen, Nancy. I’m not saying kids are a bad thing. You love your kids. I get that. But you gave up your life for Ned.”

“Oh, so Joe’s giving up his life for Vanessa?” Nancy retorted angrily, thinking of the invitation she had just received in the mail earlier that week. Joe and Vanessa had parted ways briefly, but found their way back together a few years ago, and were now planning their wedding.

“That’s different,” Frank defended. “He’ll still be working with me, not playing Mr. Mom.”

Nancy gripped the phone tighter in her hands, and restrained from saying more than, “I really do feel sorry for you. That’s a horrible way to think of life.” She hung up, and tossing her phone on the couch beside her, she got up to check on her daughter.

Ned was laying in Carrie’s bed next to her—as best as he could, his six-foot stature not meant for a little princess bed—reading from one of her books. He looked up when he heard his wife at the doorway, and frowned when he read the agitation on her face. “Everything okay?”

Nancy nodded, a genuine smile breaking out on her face when she saw her daughter fighting sleep. She moved to her daughter’s side, tucking her in. “How are you feeling?”

Carrie shrugged sleepily, turning into Ned’s side. “Throat ‘kay,” she said in between yawns.

Nancy chuckled, and leaned down to place a kiss on her cheek. “Come and get me if you need anything. Okay?”

Ned carefully got up from the bed, realizing his daughter was already asleep. After leaving a kiss on her forehead, he turned to his wife, placing an arm around her shoulders, and led her out of the room. “Why were you so upset when you came in?”

Nancy rolled her eyes, remembering her phone conversation. “Frank called wanting my help. But all he really managed to do was insult our life.”

Ned raised an eyebrow. “I always knew Hardy was a stand up guy,” he said dryly.

“Like I was going to abandon my sick daughter for him!” she fumed down the stairs. On the last step, she twirled around to face her husband suddenly. “You don’t think that I would, do you?” she asked him, her voice tinged with nervousness.

Taking his wife into his arms, Ned led her to the den. Once they were settled on the couch, he shook his head and pulled her into him, beginning to rub circles into her back. “Not at all, Nan. Yeah, before we were married there was no doubt in my mind that nothing would stop you from chasing down a mystery. And after our wedding, there was still a little insecurity. But I learned that our commitment changed everything. You’ve always treated our marriage as a partnership, and you’ve never just gone off without talking to me first.”

“And the kids?” she asked quietly. “Carrie didn’t even want to tell us she was sick because of work.”

“Because she’s five and intuitive like her mother. She knew we were both stressed out. And she’s such a caring little girl that she didn’t want to add to that. But she knows how much we love her, especially you. Gosh, Nan. Devoted doesn’t even begin to cover how you are to them. From the second you knew you were pregnant with Jamie, you were the best mother imaginable. It has never crossed my mind for a second that you would put anything before Jamie and Carrie.”

Nancy found herself calming down between her husband’s loving words and his hand’s ministrations. “Thanks. You’re not so bad yourself,” she said, teasingly.

Ned chuckled, stretching out onto the couch lengthwise, pulling her on top of him. “I hate that I have to be in court tomorrow. I wish I could stay home with my girls another day.”

Nancy’s blue eyes sparkled mischievously. “We’d better make the most of today.” She leaned down to kiss him, wrapping her arms around his neck. The butterflies she always felt when kissing Ned, no matter how many years had passed since their first kiss, appeared as he deepened the kiss, sneaking a hand under her t-shirt. She broke their kiss off, leaning into his wandering hand, only to yawn.

Ned groaned playfully, holding Nancy as he sat up. “Okay, off to bed.”

“I thought that’s where we were going?” Nancy said, through another yawn.

“It’s where you’re going, Sleeping Beauty,” Ned teased. “Go take a nap while Carrie’s sleeping. I’ll finish folding the laundry,” he said, nodding towards the abandoned basket they had knocked over during their make-out session. “If you’re a good girl and actually relax, I’ll even start dinner.”

“You have yourself a deal,” Nancy said grinning. “Tuck me in?”

“My pleasure,” Ned answered, standing up, ready to carry his wife up the stairs.

Ned stood outside the elementary school two hours later, watching children run out, happy to be finished for the day. His son was craning his neck, looking around—no doubt searching for Grandma Nickerson, who he thought was picking him up. Ned could tell the instant his son saw him. His whole face had lit up with a smile, and with little more than a wave to the girl and two boys he was standing near, he took off towards his father.

“Hey, buddy. How was school?” Ned asked, as he caught his leaping son.

“Really good! How come you’re picking me up?” he asked, not stopping to receive an answer. He continued to prattle on about his day, explaining his lunch of chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes in great detail, as Ned buckled him in, and then got into the driver’s seat.

Ned chuckled, requesting that Jamie tell his mom how much he loved lunch. Nancy had felt guilty that morning when she realized she had forgotten to make Jamie’s lunch. He had the Nickerson iron stomach, and wasn’t a picky eater at all, so getting him to eat school lunch was never a problem. But Nancy usually had to make a lunch for Carrie, who was a picky eater, and she enjoyed being able to send both of her children to school with a lunch she knew they loved.

But the morning had been difficult for Carrie, and Nancy hadn’t had a chance to leave her side until Ned was ushering Jamie out the door. Even though Jamie had already asked Ned for lunch money instead of a bagged lunch because chicken nuggets was one of the school lunches he absolutely could not miss, Nancy couldn’t help but feel guilty that her attention was more on one child than the other.

“-and we had to draw pictures of our heroes. Johnny drew a picture of himself. I told him he can’t be his own hero, but he didn’t listen!” Jamie kept talking happily.

“Who did you draw, bud?” Ned asked, looking back at his son in the rear view mirror.

Concern was etched on Jamie’s face. “Mommy. I woulda drawn you, but Mommy catches bad guys! You’re a hero too, though, Daddy.”

Ned laughed. “I understand. Your mom’s my hero too.”

“Really?” Jamie asked.

“Yep,” Ned confirmed. “She has gotten me out of a lot of trouble. Most of the time it was trouble she got me into the first time, but she has saved me a lot all the same.”

“You were in trouble?” Jamie asked, his eyes widening. “Like what?”

Ned hesitated, knowing most of the trouble he got into with Nancy wasn’t appropriate for a second grader—especially if he didn’t want to accidentally promote breaking and entering, theft, and trespassing. “Well, one time some people at my school thought I had cheated.”

“Cheating is wrong, Daddy!”

“I know,” he assured his son. “I didn’t cheat, but it looked like I did so I was going to get kicked out of school. Your mom solved the case, though.”

Jamie frowned. “Mommy’s the best. I wish I could stay home with her like Carrie.”

Ned shook his head as he turned into his driveway. “You wouldn’t be saying that if you knew how Carrie feels right now.”

Ned had stopped to pick up a few groceries before going to Jamie’s school—they had run out of the watermelon jello Carrie had developed a fondness for, and there was no doubt in Ned’s mind that she would ask for mashed potatoes for dinner again—and Jamie helped him carry them in, his Spiderman backpack hanging off of one arm and a reusable bag with hamburger and hot dog buns on the other.

Ned found the found the note he had left for Nancy untouched on the kitchen counter, and assuming both she and Carrie were still asleep, asked Jamie to help him quietly. Together the two worked side-by-side, putting away what Ned didn’t plan on using for dinner.

“There are my guys,” Nancy said, cheerfully sneaking up behind them.

Jamie turned around excitedly. “Mommy!” He abandoned the bag he was pulling items out of in favor of his mother. “I drew you a picture!”

Nancy pulled him in for a hug. “Where is it?”

Jamie ran off to get his backpack, and Ned seized the opportunity to steal his wife’s attention. “Have a good nap, Nan?”

Nancy nodded, walking into her husband’s embrace. “Thank you. I think once Carrie’s better she and Jamie should sleep out for the night so I can thank you properly.”

Ned wrapped his arms around Nancy, pulling her in close. “Don’t get me wrong, I love that idea, but all I did was let you take a nap,” he said modestly.

“And cleaned the house, picked up groceries and Jamie,” she listed, rising on her toes to look over Ned’s shoulder at the kitchen counter. “And from the looks of it, you’re making my favorite blue cheese burgers for dinner.”

“I aim to please,” Ned teased, groaning when he felt a small body squeeze between him and Nancy.

“Here, Mommy!” Jamie presented his picture to Nancy proudly.

Nancy pulled away from Ned to take the picture. “My hero,” she said, reading Jamie’s careful lettering, written in alternating blue and purple crayon. “Wow, this is really good. I’ve never looked better,” she said, winking.

“Where are you going to put it?” Jamie asked, bouncing on his heels.

“My desk at work, obviously,” she answered. “I want everyone to see.” Leaning down, she placed a kiss on his forehead and ruffled his hair. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, his smile disappearing when he heard his sister’s faint cry for their mom. “Is she better yet?”

“Almost, bud,” Ned answered. “How about you help me light the grill while your mom takes care of Carrie?”

By the time Nancy came back downstairs, they boys had returned inside. She stood in the doorway quietly, watching as Ned instructed their son to press a thumb into the hamburger patties he had made.

“Can I put the cheese in now?” Jamie asked excitedly, already making a grab for the small bowl of blue cheese Ned had prepared.

Nancy watched as father and son finished up, Ned subtly swapping the bowl with out with one full of cheddar when it came time to stuff Jamie's hamburger. She chuckled, knowing Jamie, always eager to imitate his father, must have asked to have his burger like Ned's.

Jamie turned around to face his mother, proudly announcing that he made dinner. Nancy found the doubts that rose from Frank's phone call disappearing as she praised her son's culinary skills.

\--

Carrie felt better the following morning, and even made it downstairs for breakfast. Ned made her scrambled eggs while Nancy dropped Jamie off at school. By the time she returned, Carrie had gone back up to bed.

“Do you think she's recovering fast enough?” Nancy asked, worriedly.

Ned chuckled as he checked the papers in his briefcase. Sure he had everything he needed, he closed it and kissed his wife on the cheek. “You've consulted the doctor, Mom, and Hannah. You know she's right on schedule.” He frowned when he noticed her grimace and hold her stomach. “Are you okay, Nan?”

“Just a little nauseous,” Nancy brushed his concern off. “All this worrying about Carrie.”

Ned's frown deepened as he placed his hand against her forehead. “Well, you don't have a fever. Just take it easy today, okay? I'll try and get home earlier.”

Nancy kissed him gently on the lips. “Don't worry about me.”

Less than an hour after Ned left for work—late from deepening the kiss—the doorbell rang.

“Edith!” Nancy exclaimed, surprised to see her mother-in-law. “What are you doing here?”

“Tagging in,” the older woman said simply. “Ned told me you haven’t left Carrie’s side.”

Nancy opened the door further to let her in. “And I don’t plan to until she’s better.”

Edith smiled knowingly. “I wouldn’t expect you to. But Ned said you’ve been running yourself sick. I want to help you with anything you need to get done.”

“Thank you,” Nancy said sincerely. “And honestly, Carrie being healthy wouldn’t make a difference right now. I’m in over my head.”

Edith cast a concerned look at her daughter-in-law. “What is it?” she asked as Nancy led her into the den.

Nancy gestured towards the floor, where various fabrics were strewn about the floor. “Jamie’s in the school play. He’s supposed to be a carrot, but all he looks like is an orange tree.”

Edith chuckled. “You’ll get the hang of it eventually, and until then I’m here to help. My mother was the only reason Ned didn’t show up as a potato to his school play.” She added in a conspiratorial whisper, “It was a Christmas play.”

Nancy smiled, grateful that Edith was downplaying her own sewing skills. She doubted Edith had really had as much trouble as she was leading on. For as long as Nancy had known her, Edith had been the model wife and mother. In one of their early discussions about marriage, Nancy had mentioned being afraid she couldn’t live up to the example Edith had set for her son. Ned had responded with a shudder as he explained that he didn’t want to marry his mother, he wanted Nancy.

“I remember when Ned had the flu,” Edith said, sitting down and picking up Jamie’s costume. “He was seven and absolutely miserable. He just wanted to go out and play with his friends.”

Chuckling, Nancy didn’t find that hard to believe. Jamie would probably be the same way. Edith and James were always saying how much Jamie reminded them of Ned when he was younger.

“James had a really big open house that weekend,” Edith continued. “I was supposed to be helping, but I couldn’t leave Ned. I ended up doing as much of the work as I could from the couch.” She shook her head. “I kept wishing I had extra hands.”

“Thank you for being my extra set of hands,” Nancy said sincerely.

“Anything for you, dear.” Edith smiled mischievously, adding, “But if Ned asks, I did this as a favor for him. You know he hates not being my favorite.”

Between the two of them, they were able to complete Nancy’s task list for the day, Carrie delighted to have the attention of both her mother and her grandmother. Carrie had asked them to watch a movie with her, and Edith had happily said yes, Nancy a little more hesitant, knowing she’d be in for two hours of a princess singing about her search for love. Carrie hadn’t been happy when she realized she couldn’t sing along, but Edith had turned on the captioning and sang along to the lyrics on the screen, much to Carrie’s delight.

Halfway during their second viewing of the movie Nancy excused herself with a quick kiss on her daughter’s forehead. She frowned as she felt the warmth coming from her daughter. “Are you feeling okay?”

Carrie nodded quickly, craning her head to see the television screen her mother was blocking.

Nancy only moved when Edith sent her a reassuring look. She headed to the office she and Ned shared, her phone in hand, checking her emails. When she had first learnt Carrie was sick, Nancy had passed her open case to co-worker and said she’d only be available in an emergency. She hadn’t checked her email yet, knowing John could handle the case on his own. He had been on the job nearly two decades longer than her, but loved to jokingly complain that she was the one with more experience under her belt.

As she expected, John had sent her a few emails updating her. Nancy quickly typed up a thank you when she got to her computer, answering his inquiry about Carrie’s health. He had two children of his own—a teenage daughter and a pre-teen son—and was one of the few people at work who had opted to have a career and a family.

Nancy frowned when she saw Frank’s name in her inbox, the email time stamped after their phone call. She sent what was most likely a half-assed apology to her spam folder, and scanned the remaining emails for anything of importance. Not find anything, she was shutting down the computer when she heard the soft shuffling of Carrie’s footsteps.

“Mommy?” Carrie asked, standing in the doorway looking the epitome of miserable, holding her fuzzy blanket tight around herself.

“What is it, baby?” Nancy asked, quickly moving to her daughter’s side.

“I want a puppy like Princess Penelope,” she said, her lower lip sticking out.

Nancy laughed, picking Carrie up into her arms. “That only works on Daddy.”

“Practicing on you,” Carrie said, yawning, snuggling into her mother.

Nancy carried her up the stairs to her bedroom. “Daddy won’t know what hit him.”

Nancy invited Edith to stay for dinner—but she begged off, saying she had left some stew meat in the crock pot that morning. She stayed long enough to help prepare dinner, though—a lasagna, one of Ned’s favorites. The recipe had been passed down from James’ mother to Edith, who in turn had passed it on to Nancy. Jamie loved it as well, and Nancy was already dreading the day her little boy grew up and she’d be the one passing the recipe on.

Edith left just as Ned was coming in, Jamie in tow. Jamie was disappointed that he didn’t get to spend any time with his grandmother, but Edith promised that she would take him out the next day.

Nancy shook her head, knowing both of her children had all of the adults around them wrapped around their little fingers. That became even clearer when the four sat down to dinner. Carrie, unable to resist lasagna, took a break from her popsicle and mashed potato diet. Nancy, unsure if Carrie was really well enough to eat the tomato sauce, had tried to brush as much sauce off as she could off, but Carrie pouted and she indulged her a little. Ned was happy to see that she looked to be feeling better, and with the help from a few well-timed tears and pouts, Carrie got him to promise her a puppy.

“Softie,” Nancy teased him, as they were doing the dishes together after dinner.

Ned shrugged, handing Nancy the plate he had just washed. “I was about five seconds from promising her a pony. I can’t say no to her—she looks just like you!”

Nancy imitated her daughter’s puppy eyes and pout. “Does that mean I get anything I want?”

Shutting the faucet off, Ned waited until Nancy had finished drying. Taking his wife into his arms, he began placing kisses along her neck. “Especially if it’s the same thing I want right now.”

Nancy grinned, pulling away enough to look into his eyes. “I want you to be the one to say no if Carrie wants one of those fluffy little yappers.” Leaning up to kiss him, she added, “And I definitely want what you’re thinking about too.”

Ned kissed her neck again, taking his time as he moved towards her mouth. He was worth the wait though, Nancy thought as he cradled her head in his hands and teased her mouth open with his tongue.

They broke apart, both groaning, as they heard Jamie call out for them. Ned rested his forehead against Nancy’s. “We can’t catch a break this week,” he mused.

“What if I told you that your mother and I had a nice chat about Fox Lake today?” Nancy asked, after calling out to Jamie that they’d be there in a minute.

Ned raised an eyebrow. “I’m listening.”

“How does just the two of us, a whole weekend, and Fox Lake sound?” Nancy asked.

“It sounds almost too good to be true,” Ned responded.

“Nah,” Nancy grinned teasingly. “Me going shopping beforehand for something special sounds too good to be true. Mark next weekend on your calendar. Carrie should be as good as new by then.” She turned around, leaving him grinning.

Ned followed her. “But you going shopping is true right?”

**Author's Note:**

> ...bashing Frank Hardy.
> 
> I don't even really like to write Frank, but then somehow I started to write that part...and I couldn't help but make him a complete ass.


End file.
